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Providing a legal entitlement for home care
Did you know? Unlike nursing homes, there is no legal entitlement to home care in Ireland.
Despite 55,652 people or approximately 7% of over 65s receiving HSE home support, there is no legislation that ensures people have a right to access home care or that protects the sector from funding cuts as Ireland ages rapidly.
Without a legal entitlement to home care, people face long waiting lists, unequal access to home care and the prospect of entering nursing homes prematurely simply because it easier to enter a nursing home than it is to access a home care package.
The last two Governments have pledged to change this by implementing the Statutory Home Support Scheme, but progress has been painfully slow.
Find out more below or read HCCI’s Progress Report on the Statutory Scheme.
What is the Statutory Home Support Scheme?
The Statutory Scheme has been in development since 2016 and the past two Government’s have committed to its development. Although initially targeted for implementation in 2021, the Scheme has been repeatedly delayed and there is no current timeline for its completion. The Statutory Scheme is a series of policies and legislation intended to futureproof the home care sector in various ways including:
Why does it matter?
The failure to implement the Statutory Home Support has several negative consequences for the home care sector and its clients including:
When will it be implemented?
Unknown. The Scheme was originally targeted for implementation in 2021. However, it has been delayed repeatedly to the point where the Government no longer gives timelines for its completion.
HCCI are calling for the Statutory Scheme to become a top priority for the Government ahead of the next election. We encourage anybody with an interest in having a world class home care sector with equal access for everyone in Ireland should raise the Statutory Scheme with their local TDs.
Read our report into the progress of the Scheme here.
3rd Floor, Ormond Building,
31-36 Ormond Quay Upper,
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3rd Floor, Ormond Building,
31-36 Ormond Quay Upper,
Dublin 7,
D07 EE37
©HCCI, 2024
Home & Community Care in Ireland. Registration No. 452714
Teresa is the CEO of Irish HomeCare, a leading national homecare provider in Ireland. As a Registered General Nurse with over 20 years of experience in the health and social care sector, Teresa has held various clinical and leadership roles across acute, residential, and community services in both Ireland and the UK. Her clinical background fuels her deep passion for the ongoing development of healthcare services, with a commitment to ensuring that home care remains at the forefront, while continuously enhancing workforce skills and capabilities to support future health and social care needs within local communities.
Teresa firmly believes that our people are at the heart of our health services and is a strong advocate for our workforce, embodying compassion in both care and leadership. In addition to her Board role at HCCI, she chairs the HCCI Disability and Community Care Committee and serves as a Board Member for the Royal College of Surgeons Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, further enriching her contributions to the field.
Samantha Rayner is Chief Operations Officer with Virtue Integrated Care and leads the Home Care division of the company which includes Danu Home Care, Be Independent Home Care and Heritage Home Care.
She has extensive Irish Health Care experience in senior roles across Operations, Project Management and Corporate Services. She was formally HSE national lead for Residential Care Services for Older Persons, Intermediate Care and Discharge Planning and Community Services including Day Care, Housing with Supports and Meals on Wheels.
She has a BA in Health Services Management and Economics and is a trained Business and Executive Coach.
Dionne joined the HCCI team in early 2024 as Policy and Communications Officer. Dionne has an undergraduate degree in Commerce and Spanish, and a master’s in International Public Policy and Diplomacy, both from University College Cork.
Before starting at HCCI, Dionne completed an internship at the Electoral Commission and lived in Spain improving her Spanish.
Jamie Farrelly joined HCCI in 2021 and was promoted to Policy & Communications Manager in December 2022. He has BA in Politics & Economics from Maynooth University, an MA in Public Affairs and Political Communications from Technical University Dublin and a Post
Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Innovation from Trinity College Dublin. From 2022 to 2024, Jamie was Club Secretary for the Dublin Devils FC and advocated for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sport across national TV & Radio.
Anne is the Finance Officer for the organisation and is responsible for the daily running of the Finance Department. She spent fifteen years in branch banking with AIB Bank and is CPA qualified. She also holds a diploma in Forensic Accounting.
Tracy is HCCI’s Liaison officer between HCCI and Garda national vetting bureau (GNVB). Her role focuses on processing Garda Vetting for our members and non-members, ensuring that home care workers can begin their role as fast as possible.
Tracey started in the healthcare business as a home care worker, going on to complete the full QQI level 5 in Community healthcare services. She has worked her way up in various areas within the home care sector, before starting in HCCI in November 2023.
Paul is the Garda Vetting & Member Relations Manager at HCCI. Having joined HCCI in March 2020, Paul manages the Garda Vetting service and is responsible for bringing new members into the organisation.
Paul has over 20 years supervisory management experience in manufacturing/logistics and
purchasing. Outside of work, he has ten years volunteer experience with local grassroots football club as secretary and treasurer. Paul has represented Ireland in tenpin bowling at junior and senior level for over ten years, but now spends any spare time playing golf.
David established Right at Home in 2013, having acquired the master franchise licence for Ireland from the organisation’s international headquarters in the USA. Since 2013, David has grown Right at Home successfully, with current franchise offices operating in Galway, Cork, Kildare, Dublin and South Dublin / Wicklow Areas – covering five CHO’s across the country. Prior to establishing Right At Home Ireland, David worked in the IT sector and ran his own IT company, supporting large construction and NGO projects.
With over 20 years’ experience across the public, not for profit and private sectors in hospital, home, palliative, and disability services, Collette has dedicated her professional life to providing person centred, ethical, technological, and strategic services through the lens of quality and value-based people leadership. She is deeply passionate about the important role Health and Social Care services play in all our lives and has focused on contributing at a local, national, and international level on the development of services, governance, digital transformation, and people development to advance the sector in the delivery of choice and to help shape the future of services.
She holds an MBA in Technology and Management, BA in HR and Diplomas in Risk Management and Coaching.
Kieran Hallinan is the Managing Director of Bluebird Care Northeast and a Chartered Member of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (CMIOSH).
With over 20 years of experience in health and safety management, Kieran has led Bluebird Care Northeast since 2011, ensuring top-tier homecare services across the North East Region. His expertise includes risk management, environmental compliance, quality improvement, and business strategy, making him a leader in the healthcare sector. He previously held management roles at Siemens Energy and SISK Group.
He holds an MSc in Occupational Health, BSc in Environmental Science and Diplomas in Further Education and Coaching.
Ryan is a founding shareholder, Director and Chief People Officer with Connected Health. Connected Health is one of Ireland’s largest Homecare providers employing some 1800 staff across the Island. Connected Health delivers over 6 million individual care visits per year and is leading the charge across both service and product innovation within the home and additional health and social care settings. Ryan is also a Director and Co-Founder of Conscia Talent delivering outsourced talent and consultancy services to clients across Ireland, UK and EMEA. Ryan is a serial angel investor in local high growth SME’s and is the Founder and Lead investor at the AMP Business Incubator in Derry.
Ryan holds an LLB and MSSC in Criminology, both from Queens University Belfast. Ryan is a former President of Queens Law Society and non-Executive Director of the Western Health and Social Services Board. Ryan is a multiple Ironman, distinctly average Triathlete and open water swimmer, having twice swam from Asia to Europe raising much needed resources for his chosen charity the Sunshine Foundation Romania.
Michael Wright opened the first private home care business in County Tipperary in 2008, opening Ireland’s 12th Irish Home Instead office in Thurles. Having ran a highly successful franchise business for 11 years, providing services to private clients and HSE older persons and disability funded service users, Michael sold his franchise back to Home Instead corporate.
As Home Instead’s new Director of Public Affairs, Michael developed Home Instead’s public affairs strategy and successfully co-ordinated activity between private and not-for-profit home care organisations. Michael then worked as Home Instead’s Director of Sales where he developed Home Instead’s private Live-in Care business before moving to his current role as Director of Corporate Operations. With only one Home Instead franchise office remaining in Ireland, Home Instead no longer considers itself a franchise organisation and Michael leads on growth across Home Instead’s Irish business.
Prior to joining Home Instead, Michael enjoyed a career in sales management in the pharmaceutical and clinical nutrition sectors in the UK and Ireland. Michael lives in Co. Limerick.
Joseph was appointed Chief Executive of HCCI in September 2018. He also serves as a Director of the Board.
Prior to joining HCCI, he worked at a number of the world’s leading communications consultancies. Joseph has significant experience with business operations, providing executive leadership and all aspects of communications.
In one of his proudest achievements, Joseph served as the national spokesman for the successful pro-gay marriage campaign in the United Kingdom throughout its duration from 2012 to 2013.